Today is officially the first working day of Christmas, woo hoo!
It’s a day when we start planning our presents, holidays and logistics, ready for the festivities in three weeks and the new year in four.
It’s also a day when traditionally a lot of businesses across Oxfordshire start to wind down for the holiday season, where potentially important decisions are shelved until mid January. Quite often these decisions cover the serious business of recruitment!
In recent years however, there has been a growing trend for forward-thinking Thames Valley companies to actually ramp up their recruitment activity in December. If this isn’t something you’ve considered before, here’s five reasons why you should!
1. You get the pick of the bunch
With not many businesses recruiting in December, the best available candidates have relatively few options to choose from. This means that firms who think outside of the box get the pick of the bunch!
2. It’s a great time for training
December is the perfect time to onboard new employees because the Christmas period is relatively quiet – ideal for a few weeks of comprehensive training without them being required at the coal face just yet. Colleagues will also have more time to assist with and answer questions referring to individual elements of the training course.
3. They can hit the ground running in January
If someone joins in January the likelihood is they’ll take until February to get up to speed. By this time the year and business plan is already almost 10% complete, so it’ll feel like they’re chasing their tail for the next few months playing catch up. If you get them in in December and get training under their belt, they can start the new year on day one firing on all cylinders.
4. Proactive rather than reactive
Despite the fact most companies know roughly what their attrition rate is, most will only hire when it’s too late. By this time it’s reactive rather than proactive, and panic can set in as it’s time sensitive – often resulting in a sub-optimal hire. Progressive organisations know that they can’t predict the future, so they ensure they always have a proper succession plan in place by hiring before the vacancy arises.
5. Recruitment times are sped up
There’s never a good time to be out of work, but Christmas is absolutely the worst time to be job seeking, for obvious reasons. This means that those who are looking for employment are incredibly motivated. Combine this with fewer offers from elsewhere and you can wrap up an appointment from first interview to start date in a matter of days!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all the team at Selective Recruitment Group.
